more from Maya

In a recent post, i shared a poem by Maya Angelou.

Some confessions…..

i don’t often read poetry.

i don’t often understand poetry.

the way that some people read poetry makes me “feel” it.

sort of the way i once heard someone read something from the book of Isaiah.  I can’t remember the chapter now that she read from.  And i’m not even sure where i was when i heard it (perhaps at our Georgia District ladies retreat)……but i just remember this lady opening her Bible and reading a portion of scripture from Isaiah and all of the sudden i understood it and FELT it.  i remember following along in my Bible as she read and wondering why i’d never thought to read those phrases in the way she was doing it.  it was as if she was living it…she was there…..it was not just written words, but life, breathing from the page.

the way Ms. Liz reads her poems on Sunday mornings.  when she’s written some special poem about Fall, or Veteran’s Day or Grandparents day.  

So this week i was trying to entertain myself while Paige and Lauren were doing the mall thing.  It seems they don’t have lots of malls in England, and Paige and Lauren have been there several times this week.  They went off to look for a purse for Lauren and i went into the bookstore.

I found a book by Maya Angelou…..written back in 1970!  I’d heard of it, but never realized it was something she’d written almost 30 years ago.  Well actually, 30 years ago exactly, cause although the cover said it was published in 1970, it was copywrighted in 1969 by Ms. Angelou.

I’ve been reading it this week, but very slowly, because the writing is so beautiful…almost like reading poetry instead of a novel. 

I’ll come to a paragraph when she is describing something and i find that i want to stop and read it out loud (like a good poem) so that i can hear how the words sound together and i can actually feel the picture she is describing.

One of my favorites is the way she describes the store that her grandmother owned and that she worked in as a child:

“…..Alone and empty in the mornings, it looked like an unopened present from a stranger.  Opening the front doors was pulling the ribbon off the unexpected gift.  The light would come in softly (we faced north), easing itself over the shelves of mackerel, salmon, tobacco, thread.  It fell flat on the big vat of lard and by noontime duing the summer the grease had softened to a thick soup.  Whenever i walked into the Store in the afternoon, I sensed that it was tired.  I alone could hear the slow pulse of its job half done.  But just before bedtime, after numerous people had walked in and out, had argued over their bills, or joked about their neighbors, or just dropped in “to give Sister Henderson a ‘Hi ya’ll,” the promise of magic mornings returned to the Store and spread itself over the famly in washed life waves.” 

Wow.  My grandmother never owned a grocery store.  I never spent time in a grocery store before the doors ever opened to the public.  But i totally understand how that feels now.

That is some amazing writing to me.

It makes me want to write better lyrics.  To understand that i’m not just searching for the perfect rhyme to finish the line, but the perfect thought, the perfect feeling that expresses what it is that i’m feeling as i write.

it’s good timing that i bought that book this week.  cause i’m in the midst of finishing up a song idea that my co-writer sent to me and it needs more than a great hook, it needs great intensity and passion and movement.  he provides some of that through his melody….and i need to match it with lyric.

Finally Home

Mercy Me has a new video out of their song “Finally Home”….

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=2364aa9eb190824791f2

and the answer is…..

according to the quiz…

I am a Katharine!

You are a Katharine — “I am happy and open to new things”

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me   

What I Like About Being a Katharine   

• * being optimistic and not letting life’s troubles get me down   
• * being spontaneous and free-spirited   
• * being outspoken and outrageous. It’s part of the fun.   
• * being generous and trying to make the world a better place   
• * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures   
• * having such varied interests and abilities

What’s Hard About Being a Katharine   

• * not having enough time to do all the things I want   
• * not completing things I start   
• * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career   
• * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies   
• * feeling confined when I’m in a one-to-one relationship

Katharines as Children Often

• * are action oriented and adventuresome  
• * drum up excitement   
• * prefer being with other children to being alone   
• * finesse their way around adults   
• * dream of the freedom they’ll have when they grow up

Katharines as Parents   

• * are often enthusiastic and generous   
• * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life   
• * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

Something to stir the soul….

Still I Rise” (Maya Angelou)

General Assembly 1985

This was our gang…..headed to California for the 1985 assembly.  We were right outside my dorm and getting loaded up to head to the Nashville airport.  I had no idea that in less than an hour i’d have spilled hot coffee all down the front of that dress.  Don’t ask me where i got that jumper i was wearing….i look like the school nurse.

The trip to California was great though and we had a great time singing at Assembly.  Of course at the time, it wasn’t the singing that i was all excited about.  It was the chance to visit the west coast and visit the gorgeous beaches!

I had no idea what an eventful trip that would be.

We headed to the beach for a couple of hours of fun in the sun.  As we started to get out of the van, i thought better of wearing my brand new engagement ring in the salty water, so i handed it to Jeff who had a beach bag with him. 

We jumped waves, we looked for shells and did all that beach stuff.  I really don’t remember how long we were there, but at some point the head honcho told us to pack it up.  We got into the van (at that time, you could drive vehicles on to the beach….not sure if they still do that or not now) and started to drive off the beach.  I asked Jeff for my ring.  He stuck his hand down in his bag and i waited for him to pull out my gorgeous diamond ring.  He didn’t.

“okay Jeff, quit kidding around and give me my ring”

Jeff starts to look pale

“jeff, i’m serious.  give me my ring”

Jeff is pulling out beach towels and emptying his bag.

“Donna, it’s not here”.

by the way he said it, we all knew he wasn’t kidding.

someone said to stop the van.

someone else said where could it be?

someone suggested maybe it fell out on the beach.  Jeff did take the bag on the beach, but left it up by the chairs.  maybe it fell out when he got his towel out.

the driver turned around.

“does anyone remember where we parked?”

**i’m not sure that i said anything at this point.  i was in shock**

we drove to where we thought we had been and everyone got out and started searching.

i will never forget that picture….the sight of all my friends digging around in the sand for one little, size 5 1/2 ring.

i searched with them for a while.  and then i just knew it was a lot cause.

i began to think about how i would tell Ben.

he would laugh, right?

he would buy me another one, right?

i knew it was time to just face facts.

i appreciated the help, but what was the point really, of digging in all that sand, in a place we weren’t even positive we’d been parked.

and as the words, “okay, ya’ll.  it’s alright.  let’s head home.”…..were about to come out of my mouth, Jeff stood up and hollered “i found it!”

i said, “Jeff, quit kiddng”

and then i looked and he plainly had a ring in his hand.

my little size 5 1/2 ring.

the one that is still on my finger!

Friday ramblings

….it’s seriously foggy this morning.  looking out my window at the mist swirling around the bottom of the trees reminds me of the graveyard scene from Phantom….

….Paige and Lauren called last night.  She made it safely from England.  It sounds like they are having a great time.  We pick them up tonight at 11:00.

….i got teary-eyed this morning listening to the Today show.  Laura and Jenna Bush wrote a letter to the Obama girls on life in the White House and having your daddy be the President.  They recorded the Bush girls reading the letter and it was so sweet and the last line was the tear jerker.

….i had to attend a meeting last night at 5:30.  i was there for 2 1/2 hours.  but it was held at Starbucks!! (seriously, it WAS a meeting!)

….i don’t mind my house when it is messy. 

….i bought socks with flowers on them.  i haven’t worn socks with flowers on them since i was probably 8. 

….tomorrow we drive all the way to Madison, Florida to get our hair cut.  Teresa has been cutting my hair for six years and she’s moving to a new salon–closer to where she lives.  I think it’s worth the 35 minute drive.

….i love Heath bars

….Refuge from TNU is coming this weekend.  We are keeping two of the girls at our house Saturday night.  You think they want to hear my stories of how i sang with the college PR group 25 years ago?

The British are coming!

Paige was up early packing her bag and putting on her makeup (i think it took longer to do the makeup) to get ready to leave for Atlanta after lunch.  She attends her regular classes this morning and then after lunch, she heads down to Ms. Paine’s classroom to meet up with all the kids who are going to Atlanta.  They don’t actually get to be in the airport when the British students arrive.  They will be busy preparing a reception at the hotel to welcome the students to America!

They have a full day planned for tomorrow in Atlanta.  It includes a trip to the Coca Cola World Headquarters, the Georgia Aquarium and a surprise that even Paige doesn’t know about.  They are going to see…

 the Cirque du Soleil!!

Meanwhile….i’m practicing up on my tea and scone making skills.  okay, so i’ve never made scones.  i have a friend who does and she says its not that hard.

but then again, i do have that reputation.  you know the one.  where i can take anything and make it hard!!

laughter is good for the soul

Yes, it’s a historical day and i should be talking about that. 

Instead, since i’m a mother of two teenagers that were once little girls, this bit of blogging just made me laugh!!..

http://shaungroves.com/shlog

follow the link and read the entry for 1/19/09…”she cared for a second”

if i had a cookbook, it would be called “no bake”!

i was craving chocolate last night.

i made these….

 they taste so much better than they look.

i brought some to work.

they are in my purse right now.

the coffee is brewing.

it’s about to be midafternoon snack time.

that’s my day folks!

and that’s why traveling is okay

staying over night in hotels with teenagers is bearable now because we have this to look forward to:

  i don’t know who first invented these handy little, self-use, makes a perfect waffle every time, thingamajigget….but it makes me very happy.

so now these Days Inns (that we have to stay at cause the church is paying for it!), that typically offer a measly cereal, fruit and bagel breakfast…..can actually offer a hot, delicious, almost-tastes-like-it-was-made-in-mama’s-kitchen- waffle!

now, who will event the coffee pot that makes the perfect coffee every time?